The veteran defenseman signed with Nashville in free agency following spending parts of five seasons in Carolina.
The Carolina Hurricanes took a big blow to the blueline this offseason losing both Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei in free agency.
Pesce and Skjei were the Canes' go-to shutdown pairing and Skjei especially had really grown into his offensive game too.
Skjei set a new career-best in points this past season, putting up 47 points along with 13 goals while averaging over 21 minutes of time on ice.
The Minnesota-native had some growing pains in his first year or so in Carolina, but once he got the hang of the systems, he really blossomed into a top-end, two-way player.
While the Hurricanes would have liked to keep a player like Skjei, who proved his value on both sides of the ice and in all situations, the 7x7 contract he got from the Nashville Predators was just too rich for what the Canes were able to offer in terms of both money and term for a player already in his 30s.
"It was obviously important to get a long-term deal," Skjei said in his first interview with Nashville media. "[My wife and I] wanted to feel like we're a part of a city and part of a team and a part of a fanbase for years to come."
Skjei also mentioned how the other moves the Predators made on July 1 (adding the likes of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault) plus just the overall positive things he heard about the organization also helped to influence his decision.
However, Skjei also stated that his first free agency was a stressful time.
"It was my first time going through free agency so it was definitely a stressful few weeks and few days definitely leading up to the end."
Despite the stress, Skjei said that he holds no hard feelings towards Carolina.
"I loved my time in Carolina," Skjei said. "I can't say enough good things about Rod Brind'Amour and Jordan Staal and all the guys on that team. It just didn't work out in the end, but it was obviously tough to leave a group that you've been with for the last few years and have made playoff runs with."
Skjei has been one of the more consistent defensemen in the NHL and he provided a lot of great moments for Carolina in his time.
He'll definitely help a Predator's team that is wanting to push all their chips in.
All the best to him in Nashville.
